Hotline Cooperative mailing list, PROVIDED THAT no changes
are made, credit is given and headers are included. Queries
and comments to CMBO, please, not to transcriber. You have
reached the Cape May Birding Hotline, a service of the New
Jersey Audubon Society's Cape May Bird Observatory.
Highlights for the week ending MAY 2, 1996 include
Jersey Audubon Society's Cape May Bird Observatory.
Highlights for the week ending May 2nd include SWAINSON'S
WARBLER, SWALLOW-TAILED KITE, SANDHILL CRANE, MARBLED GODWIT,
spring migrants, local nature notes, and news of CMBO's upcoming
programs and field trips.

A SWAINSON'S WARBLER was present at Higbee Beach on May 1st. It
was in the wet woods beyond the raised platform in the first
field. It was not seen or heard today May 2nd, however.

A SWALLOW-TAILED KITE was seen over Lily Lake on April 26th. The
bird was present for only about 15 minutes.

A SANDHILL CRANE was seen flying west along Sunset Blvd. on
April 27th. It eventually circled Cape May Point State Park
before disappearing to the north.

A MARBLED GODWIT was seen in the back bay near Two Mile Landing
on April 28th.

Two reports were received this week that fell into the "possible'
category. A bird thought to possibly be a REDDISH EGRET was seen
along Stone Harbor Blvd. on April 28th. On the same day a
possible PACIFIC LOON was reported from the toll bridge on Nummy
Island. Both areas were searched to no avail the following day.

The Cape May National Wildlife Refuge will eventually total
21,700 acres. To date about 8,000 acres have been purchased and
are open to WALKING ACCESS for birding, butterfly watching,
nature study, photography, and environmental education. Please
DO NOT drive on any refuge lands. But there is no problem
walking on refuge lands, despite the boundary signs which look
intimidating and say: "UNAUTHORIZED ENTRY PROHIBITED." The refuge
headquarters is on Kimbles Beach Road, off Route 47 just south of
Reeds Beach. The fields along Kimbles Beach Road are refuge
property and can be explored. The next two roads south of
Kimbles Beach Road on Route 47 back onto the refuge: Woodcock
Lane and Bobwhite Lane. Park at the end of either of these two
roads and walk to your heart's content. Be sure to let us know
what you find there. We're calling these fields the "Red Barn
Fields."

RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS are BACK!!! A male is visiting the
feeders and gardens regularly now at CMBO. Males return first
and set up territories, then females follow. If you want
hummingbirds to stay and nest in your yard, you may want to hang
feeders now, especially since gardens are pretty sparse this
time of year. But realize the task you are taking on ...
feeders need to be cleaned out thoroughly each week and refilled
with fresh solution. In the spring you only need to put 1-2
inches of solution in your feeders.

Local Nature Notes follow: Spring butterflies are being enjoyed
in numbers now that it has finally warmed up! Belleplain State
Forest is an excellent place to enjoy Falcate Orangetips, Brown,
Pine, and Henry's Elfins. CMBO's butterfly walk on May 1st
enjoyed 50 Brown Elfins, 20 Juvenal's Duskywings, 1 Pine Elfin,
and lots of E. Tailed Blues, Spring Azures, and an American
Copper. The first Spicebush Swallowtails were seen April 28 and
the first American Coppers on the 30th. A few Red Admirals
appeared this week. Shadbush and Beach Plum are blooming now,
both white and very delicate and lovely. Highbush Blueberries
are beginning to bloom. And Dogwood flowers are just opening.
Flowering Quince or Japonica is in bloom, a favorite with hungry
hummingbirds. Woodpeckers are drumming. Many birds were seen
building nests this week, including: Blue-gray Gnatcatchers,
Yellow-throated Warblers, and Parula Warblers. Fowler's Toads
are calling their distinctive baby-like crying call now --
"waaaaaaaaaa." Leopard Frogs are giving their guttural call and
Green Frogs are giving their banjo-like plunking calls.
Carpenter Frogs were also hammering out their calls. Snakes and
turtles have come out of winter hibernation and might be found
sunning.

CMBO's upcoming preregistration programs include a Spring
Butterfly & Dragonfly Field Trip on May 4, NJ Audubon's Cape May
Spring Weekend May 17th through the 19th, a Weeklong Spring
Birding Workshop with Pete Dunne and CMBO Staff May 20-24,
Shorebirds on the Delaware Bayshore field trips daily May
20-29 (except May 26), an Osprey Nests by Boat trip on June 8,
and 3 Butterfly Counts in late June.

CMBO sponsored Birding By Boat trips aboard The Skimmer are
offered Every Sunday from 1-4 p.m. and Every Monday from 9 a.m.
to Noon. To register for these CMBO sponsored boat trips, call
The Skimmer directly at 609-884-3712.

Our spring daily bird and butterfly walks have begun and reguire
no preregistrat ion -- JUST COME! Every Sunday (except May 12 &
19) Louise Zemaitis leads a Bird & Butterfly Walk at Hidden
Valley meeting at 7:30 a.m. in the small clamshell parking lot
on the south side of New England Road 0.3 miles past the
intersection with Bayshore Road. Every Tuesday Pete Dunne leads
a Birds of the Seashore walk through The Nature Conservancy's
Cape May Migratory Bird Refuge, meeting at 7:30 a.m., and Mike
Fritz leads a Sunset Birding at Stone Harbor Point & Nummy's
Island, meeting at 5:30 p.m. in the Stone Harbor Point Parking
Lot. Every Wednesday Pat Sutton leads a Butterfly Walk in
Belleplain at 9 a.m., meeting at the end of Jakes Landing Road.
Every Thursday CMBO offers a Spring Birding in Belleplain walk,
meeting at 7:30 a.m. at the Belleplain State Forest Field
Office. This walk is also offered on several Saturdays, including
May 4, 25, and June 1. Every Friday (except May 17) Fred
Mears and/or Bill Glaser lead a Higbee Beach Bird Walk at 7:30
a.m. Every Saturday (except May 11 & 18) Tom Parsons, Fred
Mears, or Bill Glaser leads a Birding Cape May Point walk,
meeting at 7:30 a.m. in the raised picnic pavilion at the Cape
May Point State Park. Stop by our office and pick up the program
schedule for more details or give us a call at 609-884-2736 and
we'll mail it to you.

The Cape May Bird Observatory is a research and education
unit of the New Jersey Audubon Society. Our aim is to
perpetuate and preserve the ornithological significance of
Cape May. Your membership supports these goals and this
birding hotline. For more information regarding Cape May
birding, our programs and field trips, and the Observatory,
call our office at 609-884-2736 or a send a request for
info to CMBO, P.O. Box 3, Cape May Point, NJ 08212. If you
are in the area, do not hesitate to visit our headquarters
and growing birding bookstore at 707 E. Lake Dr., Cape May
Point. We're open 9-5 every day but Monday.

The Cape May birding hotline [(609) 884-2626] is a service
of Cape May Bird Observatory and includes sightings from
Cape May, Atlantic, and Cumberland counties and adjacent
areas. Updates are made on Thursday evening, more often if
warranted. Please report sightings of rare or unusual birds
to CMBO at (609) 884-2736. Thank you for calling; good birding.